C.R.E.A.M.
"C.R.E.A.M." (an acronym of "Cash Rules Everything Around Me") is a song by the American hardcore hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on January 31, 1994 as the third single from their debut studio album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993). The song was produced by the group's de-facto leader RZA, and samples the Charmels' 1967 song, "As Long As I've Got You" throughout. The song features vocals from members Raekwon and Inspectah Deck, who discuss their upbringings while living in New York City, and Method Man, who sings its hook. Its music video, featuring all Wu-Tang Clan members in New York City, was released in 1994. "C.R.E.A.M." received universal praise from music critics, many of whom described it as one of the best songs on Enter the Wu-Tang. Despite its praise, the song did not perform as well commercially, only peaking at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1994. Since its release, the song has been called one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time, with some even describing it as one of the greatest songs of all time. It has since been sampled by numerous artists and has was certified Gold in the United States in 2009. Background Raekwon said of the song: "I remember writing to the beat a long time ago before we actually came out. That beat is old. That was probably like a '89 beat. RZA had it that long because he had a bunch of breaks. He had all kind of things and he was making beats back then, but we was just picking and that beat happened to always sit around and I would be like, 'I want that beat, so don't give that beat to nobody.' And he kept his word and let me have it." Composition Unlike most tracks on Enter the Wu-Tang, "C.R.E.A.M.", along with "Can It Be All So Simple" and "Tearz", contains a somber and more relaxed style, with lyrics that focus on storytelling. Wilson McBee of PopMatters describes the song as "a hard dose of reality," compared to the rest of the album, a "kung-fu–fueled fantasy." Although credited to the entire group, "C.R.E.A.M." only features three of the nine members of the Wu-Tang Clan: Raekwon, who provides the first verse, Inspectah Deck, who provides the second, longer verse, and Method Man, who provides the song's hook: Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M./Get the money; dollar, dollar bill, y'all. ''According to Raekwon, Method Man wrote the hook but it was his friend Raider Ruckus who came up with the phrase 'cash rules everything around me.' Inspectah Deck, in his verse, paints a picture of his life, going from a "delinquent teen to juvenile offender to would-be mentor." The song contains a sample of the Charmel's 1967 song "As Long As I've Got You", specifically the song's opening piano riff and its drums, both of which are continuously looped throughout "C.R.E.A.M.". Release and reception "C.R.E.A.M." was released on November 9, 1993 as the eighth track on Wu-Tang Clan's debut studio album ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The song was subsequently released as the third single from the album on January 31, 1994 through Loud Records. The song has received universal acclaim from music critics, calling it one of the best songs on Enter the Wu-Tang. Brody Kenny of Consequence of Sound called it "iconic and somber" and praised Inspectah Deck's verse, describing him as the most underrated member of the group (having never had a RZA-produced classic solo album). The song was described as a "classic" by Classic Hip Hop Magazine in their review of the album in 2018. Since its release, multiple publications have listed "C.R.E.A.M." among the best hip-hop songs of all time, with some even describing it as one of the greatest songs of all time. In 2011, Time included the song on its list of the All-Time 100 Greatest Songs. ThoughtCo. ranked the song number 20 on their list of the 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time. Their description reads "Never has there been a wildly influential hip-hop song so soothing by a group so blunt as Wu-Tang's "C.R.E.A.M." That is the genius of The RZA." In 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 11 on its list of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time. The song was also included on The Source magazine's 100 Best Rap Singles list in 2015. The song was voted number 13 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs list in 2008. Music video The music video for "C.R.E.A.M." features the members of the Wu-Tang Clan starting off at the projects in Staten Island and moving on to a more lavish lifestyle of champagne and Mercedes. The video for this single also features classic early '90s urban New York styles of dress, as the majority of the people in the video are wearing goose-downs, Champion hoodies, black skullies, and either wheat or black Timberlands. Commercial performance On the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, the song debuted at number 27 for the issue date of February 19, 1994 and entered the top 25 of the chart by climbing five places the following week to number 22. The same week as its debut on the Hot Rap Songs chart, the song entered the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 84. The song debuted at number 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the issue dated March 12. "C.R.E.A.M." eventually peaked at number 60 on the Hot 100 on April 23, 1994. That same week, it peaked at number eight and number 32 on the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively. By having reached number 60 on the Hot 100, the song stands as the highest charting Wu-Tang Clan track ever. In 2009, "C.R.E.A.M." was certified Gold in the United States by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 units, 15 years after its original release. Legacy The hook performed by Method Man has been sampled by many rappers. The phrase "Cream" has become a slang term for money. Composer Ramin Djawadi, notable for scoring the soundtracks for HBO's series Game of Thrones, covered the song for the HBO series Westworld, appearing in the fourth episode of the show's second season, "The Riddle of the Sphinx". Djawadi's cover was praised by Julia Alexander of Polygon, who compared it to Djawadi's other Westworld covers, including "Runaway" by Kanye West and "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana. Song order * Intro: Raekwon and Method Man * First verse: Raekwon ** Chorus: Method Man * Second verse: Inspectah Deck ** Chorus: Method Man Category:Wu-Tang Clan songs Category:1994 singles Category:1993 songs Category:Song recordings produced by RZA Category:Hardcore hip hop songs Category:Songs written by Method Man Category:Songs written by Raekwon Category:Songs written by Ghostface Killah Category:Loud Records singles Category:Songs written by RZA Category:Songs written by Isaac Hayes Category:Songs written by David Porter Category:Article stubs